"Viv used to make me cry every three weeks"- Brian Lara on Sir Vivian Richards' personality
West Indies legend Brian Lara opened up on the personality of another former West Indies superstar Sir Vivian Richards. In his book 'Lara The England Chronicles', the cricketing icon opened up on the 1991 Test series in England where he played under the captaincy of Richards.
Viv Richards had the reputation of being a blunt personality and Lara accepted that many would be intimidated by it. He also claimed that Richards made the likes of Carl Hooper cry once a week, referring to how his tough tone wasn't something many in the team were accustomed to.
Here's what Brian Lara narrated in an extract from his book (via ESPNCricinfo):
"Viv used to make me cry every three weeks, but he would make Carl cry once a week. Viv's tone of voice is intimidating and if you're not strong enough, you can take that personally and be affected by it. Me, I was never really affected by it. In a way I welcomed it, because I was so much under his arm that I knew abuse was coming and I was a strong personality. Carl? I know for a fact that Carl shied away from Viv Richards."
Lara claimed that he had his differences with Vivian Richards when he was the captain and the latter was a selector. However, Lara always looked up to Richards as his idol and was never intimidated by him.
Vivian Richards is not a bully: Brian Lara
While Brian Lara claimed that Vivian Richards did intimidate a lot of players, he clarified that the legendary batter was not a bully. Lara felt whatever Richards said was for the betterment of West Indies cricket and further wrote:
"I don't think Viv wilfully intimidated you. It was just his make-up. He's not a bully. Viv Richards is not a bully. But Viv has a very strong personality. He's a very aggressive person who dealt with most things that way. If we had a team meeting, he would inspire. He would back his players forever. He would talk in such a way that it left a mark on you."
Brian Lara also stated that one needed to have a different perspective to look beyond Viv Richards' tone and focus on what he wanted to say to understand and evolve from it.